DETROIT (AP) - The struggling Seattle Mariners will be without ace Felix Hernandez for at least a little while.
The Mariners placed Hernandez on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with right shoulder inflammation after he lasted just two innings in his start at Detroit the previous night. Seattle also put outfielder Mitch Haniger on the DL with a strained right oblique.
Hernandez came out of the 19-9 loss to the Tigers after allowing four runs in two innings.
“He didn’t feel great warming up last night,” manager Scott Servais said Wednesday. “He went out for the second inning and just didn’t feel great, just dead. No sharp pain or anything like that, just the ball wasn’t coming out (well).”
Haniger left the game in the third inning.
The Mariners also optioned right-handers Chris Heston and Evan Marshall to Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday. They recalled right-hander Chase De Jong, left-hander Dillon Overton and outfielder Ben Gamel from Tacoma, and purchased the contract of right-hander Casey Fien from Tacoma.
Hernandez, the 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner, made at least 30 starts for the Mariners every season from 2006-15. He made 25 last year but missed nearly two months with a calf injury.
The 31-year-old Hernandez is 2-2 with a 4.73 ERA in five starts this season. Seattle entered Wednesday night’s game at Detroit in last place in the AL West, but beat the Tigers 8-0 behind a fine performance from left-hander James Paxton.
The previous night, Hernandez threw only 48 pitches before Servais pulled him.
“Certainly didn’t look good from where I was sitting,” Servais said. “So, just make a change, have the doctors evaluate it and see where we’re at.”
De Jong is expected to take Hernandez’s spot in the rotation. He won Texas League pitcher of the year honors following last season and made his major league debut earlier this month with the Mariners.
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